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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29361717">the way to a man's heart</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColorMeParanoid/pseuds/ColorMeParanoid'>ColorMeParanoid</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shadowhunters (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alec Lightwood is the best boyfriend, Bad Cooking, Boys In Love, Communication, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, even if he can't cook</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:28:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,372</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29361717</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColorMeParanoid/pseuds/ColorMeParanoid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Alec worked so hard on this lovely meal and sure, maybe his presentation sucked. But he’s a demon hunter, not a chef. Maybe Magnus shouldn’t be judging his meal this hard without even trying it first. Maybe it tastes better than it looks.</p><p>Taking a deep breath, Magnus puts his cut piece of steak into his mouth and immediately regrets all of the decisions he’s made that led to this moment right here.<br/> </p><p>Alec decides to make a homemade meal for Magnus as a surprise. The only problem? Well, he doesn't exactly know how to cook.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>73</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>the way to a man's heart</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Magnus walks out of the taxi on unsteady feet and tips the driver generously for picking up on his cues and not trying to engage him in mindless chatter.</p><p>He's beyond drained, to the point where he hasn't even managed to scrounge up enough magic together to make a portal home. He knows he pushed himself a little too hard this week, but it was for a good cause. Helping Catarina heal people always was. But now that all of the children were safe and taken care of, Magnus is going to take some well earned time off.</p><p>If he could manage to make his way into his apartment without passing out in some bushes first, that is. It takes him a while but he manages to make his way into the elevator, grateful to his past self for having the foresight to get it fixed once Alec started coming around more often. Even if the Shadowhunter still seems to prefer scaling the side of the building and making his way in through the balcony more often than not.</p><p>He closes his eyes and thinks of the steak he has stored in his fridge and the hot bath he plans on having as the elevator starts to move. There's nothing he'd love more than to sink straight into his bed but he knows from experience that it isn't a good idea. If he didn't want to wake up with a pounding headache that would make him absolutely miserable, he has to get something to eat and have his bath to relax all the sore muscles. Because he knows that once he gets into his bed, he isn't going to be leaving it for a likely full 24 hours in the least.</p><p>It’s a well thought out and carefully cultivated self-care routine that he's perfected over the centuries and it has served him well so far. No matter how tired, he isn’t going to skip it.</p><p>It takes him an embarrassingly long time to fit the key into the lock to open his door and when he does, he's left breathless with surprise. The lights are dimmed and soft, soothing music playing in the background. The dining table, which is the least used part of Magnus' loft, has two plates set, with candles lined up on the unused part of the table, turning the atmosphere even more romantic.</p><p>Magnus can't help but grin at the sight, feeling warmth spread in his chest despite the chill of the night that has set around him on the way home.</p><p>Alexander, he thinks with a shake of his head. Magnus told him that he was going to be late home and was dealing with some magical depletion to make it known that he wouldn't be great company tonight. But instead of waiting to see him tomorrow when he was fully alert and functional, of course Alec has decided to surprise him with a romantic dinner instead.</p><p>He sees a bottle of rich red wine on the table and hears the sizzling of something from the kitchen and grins at the rather colorful string of expletives that follows it.</p><p>He's just managed to kick of his shoes in quite an ungraceful manner when Alec peeks his head out of the kitchen and smiles at him.</p><p>"Hey," he greets softly, coming to meet Magnus and kissing him on the cheek. "How was your day?"</p><p>"Long," Magnus says on a sigh, letting Alec help him with his jacket and usher him towards the table. "This is a nice surprise. Thank you, darling."</p><p>"It's nothing," Alec insists, even as he opens the bottle of wine and pours them both a glass, Magnus' significantly more than his. He raises an eyebrow and Alec blushes. "I may have sampled a little too much wine while cooking."</p><p>“Fancy,” he says, both impressed and a bit concerned. “Is this for some special occasion that I’ve forgotten?”</p><p>Valentine’s Day is coming up, but Magnus sincerely doubts that Alec has ever heard of it or had any desire to actually celebrate it. He generally had very little to no interest in mundane celebrations.</p><p>Alec shrugs, turning back to the kitchen. “I know you’ve had a long week and I wanted to do something nice for you.” </p><p>Of course. It was a very Alec thing to do and Magnus falls in love with him a little more right then and there.</p><p>“Do you need help with anything?” Magnus asks, already rolling up his sleeves as he eyes the mess that his kitchen has become. Looking at the ingredients spread over the counter, he’s honestly baffled at what the meal might be. He only hopes it’s not Alec’s famous stew again. Remembering the taste of it nearly makes him shudder.</p><p>But he’s going to give Alec the benefit of the doubt. He was under a lot of stress when he last made it, what’s with his mother’s mysterious visit, so it might have been a one off. Alec always likes to brag that he’s the best cook of the Lightwood family, so Magnus will try his best to keep an open mind.</p><p>“Thank you for offering, but it’s all done. Why don’t you go and take a seat and I’ll bring out the food?”</p><p>With a nod, Magnus does as instructed and takes a long sip of his wine, shoulders immediately releasing some of the tension that’s been accumulating over the course of this wretched week. </p><p>He sits patiently and waits for Alec to make up their plates and carry them down to the table. He’s so proud as he tells Magnus about the steak in a red wine reduction paired with roasted potatoes but Magnus’ enthusiasm vanishes with a single look at the plate in front of him.</p><p>The potatoes look great, but the steak, well. It looks like roadkill. And that’s sadly not an exaggeration. It’s grey and shriveled up to half its usual size and when he cuts into it, it’s so well done he can barely get a single piece off. The wine sauce is thick and goopy and the color is such a dark red it reminds Magnus of congealed blood. In short, it looks like Alec cut off a piece of a demon he ran into on his way to the loft and put it straight on the plate, ichor and all.</p><p>Still, Alec worked so hard on this lovely meal and sure, maybe his presentation sucked. But he’s a demon hunter, not a chef. Maybe Magnus shouldn’t be judging his meal this hard without even trying it first. Maybe it tastes better than it looks.</p><p>Taking a deep breath, Magnus puts his cut piece of steak into his mouth and immediately regrets all of the decisions he’s made that led to this moment right here.</p><p>He has to close his eyes as he chews to hide his horror, the meat somehow both too salty and bland and unbearably sour from the wine sauce. He washes the taste of it down with a mouthful of wine.</p><p>When he opens his eyes, Alec is looking at him expectantly, waiting on his reaction. He’s yet to try his own food, so he probably didn’t even know what he’s in for and Magnus does his best to keep his composure.</p><p>“So?” Alec asks, looking so very pleased with himself. “Do you like it?”</p><p>Magnus carefully considers his words. “It’s got an interesting flavor profile.” It’s the best thing he can come up with that doesn't sound too insulting. Alec’s face falls at that and he quickly backtracks, “But the potatoes are absolutely delicious!” He stabs a piece and stuffs it into his mouth to stop himself from saying anything else to hurt Alec's feelings.</p><p>“I got those already done since I didn’t have time to roast them myself,” Alec explains, staring mournfully at his own plate. “Everything else was prepared by me.”</p><p>Well shit. What now? Magnus could subtly use his magic to switch the steaks with something delicious to spare Alec’s feelings, even though the thought of summoning anything right now makes him feel a little lightheaded. He could say that it grew on him on the second bite, that he just needed a minute to process all of the intense flavors.</p><p>But that opens up a whole new can of worms. Does he really want to spend the next few decades of his life eating Alec’s well meaning but absolutely inedible concoctions? It’s clear that Alec loves to cook and he doubts he’ll stop – or improve – if Magnus keeps praising his disastrous initial attempts.  </p><p>What he needs is some guidance, something Magnus is more than willing to provide. The last thing he wants is to hurt Alec's feelings with the truth but what would lying to him accomplish? It feels a little condescending too, to lie to him just to spare his feelings. Alec’s an adult. He can handle some constructive criticism.</p><p>“I don’t understand how this happened,” Alec says. Now that he’s looking at it with a more critical eye, he seems hesitant to actually put any of it in his mouth. “I followed the recipe, did exactly what it said. Well,” he corrects himself, clearing his throat. “They only said to cook the steaks for a few minutes on each side and that didn’t seem right. It was still raw in the middle. Clearly, I shouldn’t have trusted the recipe at all.”</p><p>“Alexander,” Magnus says, as gently as he can. “Cooking is a skill, same as any other. You can’t expect to be amazing at it right from the start. It takes patience and hard work.”</p><p>“But the stew I made turned out so well!” Alec protests and Magnus takes a pointed sip of his wine that has Alec narrowing his eyes. “You didn’t.”</p><p>"I'm sorry, darling," Magnus says, truly apologetic. "But you seemed so excited and your mother was just about to arrive and I didn't want anything to ruin the night."</p><p>He suddenly understands Maryse's hesitance when it came to eating the food they offered after Alec proudly announced that he's the one who made it and why she made it a point to tell Magnus that he was so good for her son. All of the dots were starting connect right before his very eyes.</p><p>“Oh,” Alec says, looking down at his plate, clearly embarrassed. “I’m sorry for ruining your dinner plans. I know how important is for you to have a nice meal to help recuperate your magic.”</p><p>Even worse, Alec sounds guilty and Magnus can’t have that. He stands up and walks around the table and drapes himself all over Alec’s back, pulling him into a full body hug.</p><p>“There’s nothing to apologize for, my love,” Magnus assures him. “The thought is very much appreciated. Maybe next time instead of going out for dinner you let me teach you how to make one of my favorite meals?”</p><p>Alec leans his head back and closes his eyes in defeat. “That might be for the best.”</p><p>Magnus sighs as pulls away. He has a feeling that getting Alec to accept his lack of cooking skills is going to be a challenge. Even more so to stop his incessant guilt. </p><p>“Okay, how about you go order us some takeout while I go prepare a bath for us?” he suggests.</p><p>To his surprise, Alec sour mood evaporates in a second and he smiles up at him. “The bath is already ready. I used one of your charms to keep the water nice and hot so you wouldn’t need to wait for the tub to fill. Why don’t you go get in the bath while I clean up this mess and get food sorted out?”</p><p>“Are you sure?” Because while a bath with Alec sounds lovely, he’s kind of craving a little luxurious soak all on his own to fully relax.</p><p>“Absolutely,” Alec says. “Thai sound good?”</p><p>“Perfect.”</p><p>While Alec takes their plates to the kitchen and starts the dishwasher that Magnus got specifically for him, Magnus heads into the bathroom and immediately freezes in the doorway. He breathes in deep and the scent of sandalwood and the last remnants of tension slip from his shoulders. The lights were dimmed and the few candles were strategically placed, like something out of the spa.</p><p>It seems that Alec was paying so much more attention to Magnus and his little rituals than he let it seem.</p><p>Magnus strips out of his clothes without a care and lets them pool on the tile floor and eagerly sinks into deliciously hot water just the right temperature to his liking thanks to the charm. He doesn’t know how long he soaks there before he hears footsteps coming into the bathroom and opens his eyes to see Alec watching him with a pleased smile. He bends over and picks up his discarded clothes and puts them into the hamper before he approaches him and leans over for a long, lingering kiss.</p><p>“The food is here,” Alec murmurs against his lips, chuckling when Magnus’ stomach growls in response.</p><p>“Help me up?” Magnus asks and Alec nods. He gives Magnus a hand and helps him get on his shaky, mellow legs and wraps him up in one of his softest and fluffiest robes before leading him to the bedroom. Usually, Magnus is firmly against eating in bed but now, with his energy quickly flagging, he can’t think of anything more convenient so he doesn’t protest.</p><p>He settles into bed and devours his portion along with half of Alec’s that he’s more than happy to offer in exchange for a double serving of dessert. It would be a selfless gesture if Magnus didn’t know just how big of a sweet tooth Alec has. Maybe in the morning he could teach him how to make some waffles.</p><p>“Thank you,” he breathes out once the food has been consumed and he’s curled himself up under the covers, already half asleep. “For taking care of me.”</p><p>“Anytime,” Alec tells him, curling around him, warming him down to his core.</p><p>If it was anyone else, Magnus wouldn’t have believed it. But with Alec? His kind, genuine Alec?</p><p>He didn't doubt him for a second.</p><p> </p>
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